When the flow of course in a S.M.A.R.T. room isn’t working well, and the children are doing a lot of standing and waiting, it’s time to tweak the floor plan. Congestion may happen when the course is laid out around the periphery of the room with a large empty area in the center of the room. Don’t worry because we have a simple fix! By changing the course from a circle pattern to a serpentine pattern, the empty space becomes part of the course. More crawling, creeping, balancing, and rolling activities should be included on the course so that the children will have more CORE stimulation. (See this month’s Time Saving Tip for easy ideas.)

​To help the children follow the course, use blue painters’ tape arrows on the floor pointing to the next activity. When the children are familiar with the course, which typically takes 2-3 weeks you can take the blue tape off the floor. You can find examples of course in your S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K CORE Guide.

References:S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K CORE guide pages 50-54

Time Saving TipMore isn’t always better! Think about it, more mosquito bites? More headaches? More homework? When it comes to a good S.M.A.R.T. course more activities isn’t always better either. Yet, to maximize the amount of time that children are receiving CORE stimulation, we recommend 1-2 children per station/activity. We realize you can do the math AND that you probably have more than 14 students in your classroom. If you have just 7 activities in your course (Alligator Crawl, Slap/Creep Track, Pencil Roll, Balance Beam, Rebounder, Hopscotch, Overhead Ladder) then you may find students are waiting for their turn at the next activity. If this is your reality, we have a solution that doesn’t require a huge investment of your time and energy! Just add A SECOND (or even a third) station for the Alligator Crawl, Slap/Creep Track, and Balance Beam*. You won’t have to introduce new activities AND more children will be actively involved in the course, and therefore the stimulation!

* If you’re using the yardsticks you made in the workshop, try blue painters tape.

That’s One SMART TeacherAre you struggling with finding a place to hang Tactile Trackers or Wagon Wheels in your classroom? One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher, Molly, from Sibley East has found an excellent location. During a recent mentoring visit at her school Molly asked about hanging the Wagon Wheels down below her whiteboard and having students sit while doing the activity. We observed this and found it is an EXCELLENT use of space. Are you interested in an additional bonus? Students have a bigger base of balance while doing the activity, which helps to isolate the eye movements and potentially give them an opportunity for better results! Way to go Molly!

S.M.A.R.T. at Home“Go outside and play!” Parents, far and wide, used this phrase when we were young. Do you find yourself saying the same thing to your child? Do you feel like most other parents who wish they remembered to say it more often? There are an endless number of benefits to playing outside, from physical movement to fresh air to a boost of vitamin D. We are definitely advocates of playing outside and we know you can give your child a little extra stimulation when you suggest these S.M.A.R.T. activities:

Jumping in piles of leaves

Rolling down a hill

Swinging at the playground

Crossing the monkey bars

Creeping on all fours to explore

Spinning around in circles

Walking in heel-to-toe style

Hopping over the lines in the sidewalk

Younger children can do these activities with little to no help and will enjoy them individually. Older children can do them independently and may enjoy the challenge of doing them consecutively like an obstacle course. Here in Minnesota we are heading into a long weekend for MEA (Minnesota Educator Academy conference). So it may be a perfect time to tell your child(ren) to be S.M.A.R.T. and go outside and play!